The Hunt
by The Avid Musician
Summary: A young woman arrives at the Burrow and is immediately welcomed, but something is strange about her. What is it? And why is Voldemort searching for her? OC
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe is most assuredly not mine, else I'd be rich._

**The Hunt**

**Chapter One**_  
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Today was a day like any other at the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Because it was summer, the Weasley children and Harry Potter were staying, as were a number of adults. The adult members of the order staying at the headquarters, otherwise known as the Burrow, were Remus Lupin, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, Bill Weasley, and Fleur Delacour.

On this seemingly normal day, someone came to the Burrow. Everyone in the large, country house heard the sound of someone entering the wards. They all hurried down to the ground floor and gathered outside the house, wands at the ready.

A minute later, a figure completely wrapped in a black cloak stepped out of the field into the lawn by the house. Instantly, each person's wand was trained to this person.

"Show yourself!" Lupin demanded.

"That would be a hard thing to do in the sunlight," a lightly Italian accented voice commented wryly from under the cloak. The voice was strong and somewhat high but distinctly feminine.

Lupin continued to watch the woman closely, but his eyes had lightened and his posture was less rigid. "What bok was I reading the first time I met Tenebre Veleni?"

"_Dracula_," she answered.

Lupin lowered his wand and smiled at her. He gestured o the Burrow welcomingly.

"It's been awhile, Tenebre," Mr. Weasley said with a smile.

"Welcome back, my dear," Mrs. Weasley said warmly.

"It's good to be back," Tenebre returned as she walked into the house.

As soon as she was out of the sunlight, Tenebre swept off her cloak and unbuttoned her black trench coat, which she had been wearing beneath her cloak. With the two layers removed, they could all see the shiny, elegant, black heels. Her long legs were covered in black stockings, and they were only partially covered by a knee-length, red cocktail dress. It sheathed her thin body and accentuated it with a black belt; her cleavage, which showed only slightly past the neckline of her dress. Her slender arms were still more muscular than was common for a woman. Her pale, swan-like neck was nearly eclipsed by her long, slightly wavy, black hair that reached nearly to her waist.

Her face, however, was the oddest part of her. And how could her face be so odd? It was, as the rest of her skin, white, though not as snow for she did still have blood in her veins. It seemed as though her lips had stolen the blood from the rest of her. They shone a deep red, like a rose. Her eyes were entirely black, save the whites. She was eerily beautiful and frighteningly alluring, not only from her appearance but even by her scent and her ethereal aura of power. Countering this attraction was the unnerving unnaturalness that seemed to warn them all to run and hide from her.

The teenagers saw more of the warning than the allure and so were cautious of her. At the same time, the adults seemed to ignore both aspects of this newcomer. They welcomed her into the house now that they were assured of her identity.

"How long are you staying, Teneb?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she guided the woman into the living room.

"I am not sure, Molly. I suppose I shall remain at least through the summer, and perhaps beyond," she returned with a closed-lipped smile.

"Kids, I think you have homework to be doing," Mr. Weasley said to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"What?" Harry and Ron asked at the same time.

Hermione sighed and pulled them both out of the room. She was just able to glimpse a necklace around Tenebre's neck before leaving. It was an antique cameo with a woman who looked very similar to its owner.

"Why are you here? Didn't Dumbledore tell you to stay in hiding?" The three heard Lupin ask us they began to walk up the stairs.

"My last hideout was discovered, quite by accident if I might add, by Yaxley. He will have reported to Tom by now. I did not have any money with me, and the bank its stored in doesn't open until tomorrow. I needed a place with wards and sustenance," Tenebre explained.

"Well, I can't suppose having you here will make us any more hunted," Mr. Weasley said.

"Exactly. In that case, I believe introductions are in order," she said cheerfully.

"Ah, yes. Teneb, these are my son Bill and his fiancé Fleur Delacour. Bill, Fleur, this is Tenebre Veleni," Mr. Weasley said.

"And you as well. We will have much to discuss, but first we have some eavesdroppers," she said, standing and walking toward the stairs. Sure enough, there were three teenagers standing on the landing.

"I would appreciate it if you were to go up as you have been instructed. This is not a matter for you."

The three did not move.

"Go," she hissed.

The venom in her voice prompted the three to run up the stairs.

Tenebre returned to the living room and asked Mrs. Weasley, "Where are the rest of your children?"

"Charlie's in Romania. Ginny, Fred, and George are out in the field," she said.

With a nod, Tenebre settled back down n her seat and said, "I will not explain myself to you two yet. You will learn soon enough. I have only this: be wary of blood."

"Blood?" Bill asked.

She nodded seriously and said, "Now, what has been happening these past years?"

They proceeded to explain all that she had missed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

That night when they believed everyone else in the house to be asleep, Harry, Ron, and Hermione gathered up in Ron's room on the top floor.

"Are they all asleep?" Harry asked.

"I believe so. At the least, they're all in their rooms, and it's late enough that we won't be bothered," Hermione said.

"Have you brought the book?" Harry asked.

"I have it here," Hermione said, holdng up a rather worn copy of _Curses and Countercurses_ by Professor Vindictus Viridian.

"And I have mine," Harry said, gesturing to a pile of those old school books he thought might help. In his stack , there were: _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, Break With a Banshee, Gadding with Ghouls, Holidays with Hags, Travels with Trolls, Voyages with Vampires, Wandering with Werewolves, The Monster Book of Monsters, The Dark Arts Outsmarted, _and_ Confronting the Faceless._

"Right, well, shouldn't we make a list first," Hermione pointed out.

Harry quickly retrieved a long piece of parchment.

"Well, she's pale," Ron began.

"She doesn't go out in the sunlight," Harry said.

"But why? Is she afraid of it?" Ron asked rhetorically.

"She said we wouldn't be able to see her if she took the cloak off...So she can't go out in the sunlight!" Harry said.

"What else?"

"She acts really old," Ron said.

"Her eyes are black," Hermione said.

"Her lips are super red," Harry said.

"She has really good hearing...What if she's awake and can hear us?" Hermione said, dropping to a whisper.

"Just whisper," Harry said.

"Okay...well, she's beautiful, but scary," Ron whispered.

"She never showed her teeth!" Hermione stage whispered in sudden realization.

"Did you see the way Mom greeted her?" Ron whispered, going over his memory of her coming.

"They've known each other for a long time," Hermione said quietly.

"But how can that be when I've never seen her? She can't be that much older than us!" Harry whispered.

"Unless she's older than she looks," Ron suggested.

"But how much older?" Hermione asked.

The three of them looked over their list in silence for awhile.

Hermione finally broke the silence by saying, "It's not a curse."

"Then what is she?" Harry asked.

"We'll have to wait and see," Hermione said with a shrug.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Over the next couple days, Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched Tenebre as closely as they could without arousing suspicion. In that time, they noticed several more odd things about her. Her eye sight was very good, almost inhumanly so. She was disturbingly fast, though all they had seen was humanly possible. The familiarity and almost fondness the adults of the Burrow showed to Tenebre did not wane. If anything, it increased over time. Mrs. Weasley doted on her like a daughter, which led to another of their clues. Never once did Mrs. Weasley offer tea or any type of food to Tenebre. Not only that but none of them had seen her eat anything since she arrived. Ron had, however, seen her drink a glass of red wine.

The final and most noticeable clue was the extreme respect all of the adults (Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and Lupin) with which they treated Tenebre. It was strange that they could so greatly respect one of so young an age. At another late night meeting, though not so lengthy as the first, the three decided to ask the adults about if nothing else the reason for their respect.

And so, the three teens quickly contrived a way to be alone in a room with those same three adults. Once there, Harry asked them, "Why do you all respect Tenebre so much?"

Lupin's eyes flicked to them in suspicion. How could they possibly know? Mr. Weasley spoke then, asking, "Why do you ask?"

The three of them looked amongst each other. After a few seconds, Harry bit the bullet and said, "Whenever she walks into the room, you all quiet down..."

"It's like she's royalty," Ron added.

"She isn't so much royalty as...a respected elder..." Mr. Weasley attempted to explain. He had chosen his words carefully, but not carefully enough.

"Elder? She can't be more than five years older than us!" Ron exclaimed.

"She's a vampire," Hermione and Lupin said at the same time.

All three adults looked at her in astonishment. Then, Lupin, in a statement which echoed her discovery of his own condition, asked, "How long have you known?"

Apparently, Hermione did not notice the similarity because she said without hesitation, "Since the meeting during the day last week. She avoided the sunlight like the plague."

Lupin nodded as he pursed his lips. "Obviously, she's considerably older than she looks...But a reason for our respect is...she was in the same year as You-Know-Who."

"But she isn't British. She's Italian. Why wouldn't she go to that one magic school in Florence?" Harry asked.

"Actually, I was schooled in Rome at _IlCollegio di Magia_ by _Maestri della Magia Antica_. It was only in my final year of study that I went to Hogwarts. That was both my last year and the last year of a certain Tom Riddle, Jr.," Tenebre said from the doorway. They all turned in astonishment ot see her leaning against the wall in the shadows. Her deathly pale skin shone like a corpse.

"Tenebre! We were just-" Mr. Weasley began to say.

"Giving out my history freely to three whom I would have thought would be well acquainted with it by now," she finished. Her voice was eerily devoid of emotion. "However, the question remains: why did you not come to me directly?"

"Really? No offense, but you're kind of scary," Ron interjected.

"Ron!" Hermione reprimanded sharply.

"What he means is that...you're rather..." Harry began, attempting to save his friend.

"Intimidating?" she suggested with a smile that seemed to shine despite the lack of light.

"Yeah," Ron said with a rather vigorous nod.

"It is only natural. Despite that, I am sure-" As she continued to speak, she pushed away from the wall and walked toward Ron. However, the second she stepped into the sun, she disappeared in a black, swirling cloud. The whole time she continued to speak.

"You have questions for me. However, I encourage you to think carefully before you speak."

Through all of this, the trio of teenagers stared, hardly able to believe their eyes. At the same time, the adults seemed completely used to this rather unique occurrence.

As she had not reappeared and her cloud had disappeared, the three peered unsurely around the room. After a couple seconds, Harry asked cautiously, "Is she still here?"

Lupin looked up from staring at his hands. "Draw the curtains."

Hermione and Harry hurried to comply. As they did, Harry asked, "Will she reappear?"

"If she's here, she will," Lupin said, already peering around the room.

When the curtains were drawn, long shadows appeared throughout the room. Light shone through the open doorways on either side of the room, but Tenebre did not reappear.

"She's gone," Lupin said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

That evening, Lupin finally cornered Tenebre in one of the lesser used rooms of the Order's Headquarters. She sat in a large, dusty armchair on the other side of the room when he entered.

"Ah! Sit down, _Lupo_," she said. Clearly, she had been expecting this, or rather him, as she only used her Italian nickname for him when he was being predictable.

He complied, sitting in the chair opposite hers. He clasped his hands and placed them on his legs before asking, "Are you going to tell them everything?"

"They will find out sooner or later. I prefer sooner on my terms than later with undoubtedly skewed facts."

"Are you going to tell them of when you were changed?" he asked carefully.

"No. They need only know of what I am and my subsequent transfer to Hogwarts."

Lupin nodded solemnly and stood to leave.

Tenebre stopped him by saying sincerely, "You've been a good friend, Lupin."

He turned, smiling, and said, "After this many years, you can call me Remus, Tenebre."

She smiled back and said, "Help them to enjoy what little peace they have left."

"Would that there could be peace for ones such as you and me," Remus responded, turning sombre.

"You know as well as I that such an inner peace is not possible for ones like us. We are continually eaten alive, plagued by fear and guilt. We will never be free of that," Tenebre said. As she spoke, her face began to distort. Her eyes slowly faded from black to red as though blood were seeping into her irises. A blood-like liquid began to drip from her elongated, almost bleach-white fangs. The blood in those two places seemed to steal what little she had in her face, leaving her a startlingly paper-white colour.

Lupin recognized the signs and hurriedly grasped her arms. "Calm yourself, Tenebre! Would you risk everyone here?"

Still she did not become calm. Her eyes were glazed as she breathed deeply through her nose.

"Control your thirst, Tenebre! The wedding is tomorrow! Do you want to miss it?"

Teneb closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then opened her eyes and said, "You know as well as I that I hardly care about such an event."

"Then why are you here, Teneb? You can easily find another safe house," Lupin said.

"There is something I must do, first," she said, turning away from him.

"What?"

Teneb turned back to him, now holding an aged leather-covered book.

"You want them to know everything?" Lupin asked, frowning.

"If they do not, they will never succeed. In the end, they need Tom's own emotions to destroy himself. His emotions are buried so deep that only one thing will summon the emotions they need," she said before turning and walking out.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The following morning, Tenebre cornered Harry when he came down to the kitchen for breakfast. Surprisingly, he was the first to speak when he saw her. "So why were you in hiding?" Harry asked.

"Tom has been searching for me for many years," Tenebre said simply.

"But why?" Harry prompted.

"Tom believes he loves me," Tenebre answered emotionlessly.

"_What_?" he asked in astonishment.

"In the one year I was at school with Tom, he formed an emotional attachment with me, which he calls love," she reiterated.

After several seconds to collect his thoughts, Harry asked, "Does he still think he's...you know?"

"Yes, which is why had I been there to escort you from your Aunt and Uncle's house, he would never have gone after you. He would have pursued me, no matter the cost."

Just then, one of the twins walked in. A white bandage was wrapped around his head. He walked to the other side of the room and turned to look at them. Only then could they see the toothbrush sticking out of his ear, or at least where his ear was supposed to be.

"Morning," he said both ineptly and suggestively.

"What happened to your ear?" Teneb asked.

"It's my battle scar from getting Harry here. Snape used his favourite spell, sliced my ear off," he said, walking over to stand beside her. As he did, Harry backed away from them both.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The wedding wore into the evening hours. Throughout out the entirety of it, very few people spoke to Tenebre at all. She was content to sit in the background and observe the revels.

The first of the interruptions of Tenebre's peace was that of Mrs. Weasley. She hurried up to Tenebre and said eagerly, "Aren't they wonderful together?"

Tenebre hardly had time to reply before the woman hurried off to talk with someone else.

The second interruption came in the form of Remus Lupin. He sat down at her table and asked, "Enjoying the party?"

"You know as well as I joy is rare in these times," she returned philosophically.

Lupin nodded for a few seconds before Tenebre asked bluntly, "What is it, Lupin? It is clear there is something pressing you wish to speak of."

"Are you still in contact with You-Know-Who?" he asked seriously.

"Yes. The years pass, but that does not change," she said.

"Can it penetrate the wards?"

"Yes."

"What happens when they see it?" Lupin asked, gesturing to the order members standing outside the tent, watching the dark skies for signs of attack.

"I will notice it by then. He is _very_ good at dodging spells," Tenebre said unconcernedly.

"Why?"

"Tom has a bit of a temper, as you know. He sometimes throws curses at him," Tenebre explained.

"Why doesn't he just send a different owl and track it to you?" Lupin asked bluntly.

Tenebre smirked and said, "The perks of being a witch: if I get an owl other than the very few with which I am familiar, I immediately apparate away."

Lupin nodded tired, lapsing into slence.

"Shouldn't you be with Tonks?" Tenebre asked, breaking the silence.

"She's dancing," Lupin returned.

"Ah, and you, having nothing else to do," she said, understanding his motives.

"Can I not care about my friends' happiness?" he returned.

"You certainly can care," Teneb said, standing quite suddenly.

"Is it here?" he asked.

Tenebre only nodded.

They were not the only ones to see the owl, which is where the third disruption comes in. Harry saw a black owl fly toward the tent. He also noticed Tenebre and Lupin standing outside the tent. Seconds later, the owl landed on Tenebre's shoulder.

She smiled and smoothed its feathers before untying the letter from his leg. After reading it quickly, she conjured parchment, quill, and ink. Faster than either onlooker could comprehend, she had written a reply and tied it to the leg of the owl. As she sent it off, a voice behind them asked, "Who was that from?"

Tenebre immediately wiped around, pointing her wand straight at him. She sighed and put her wand away when she recognized him. "I suppose I should tell you the truth in this case."

"Then who's it from?" Harry asked again.

"Tom. We've kept a steady correspondence all these years. Don't worry. He can't find you, me, or anyone else though this bird. I made sure of that," she explained quickly.

"How can you keep writing to him with everything he's done? Harry demanded.

Tenebre smiled sadly and said, "Even after everything that's happened, I still love Tom very much. Do not mistrust me for this. It is not as if he asks me for plans to eradicate muggleborns and tells me of his murders. We discuss different forms of magic and philosophy. He knows very well that if he ever writes of killing, he will have lost me forever. He craves this contact as much as I. Despite our differences of opinion, we have managed to remain friends."

"Your _his_ friend? How can you be his friend? You'll betray us all!"

"Harry, if I wanted to, I could have killed every one of you here and ended the war in his favour," Tenebre reminded him.

Harry looked down. He was now very unsure of his original assumptions.

"Harry, there are very few ways this war can end. One is that he kills you. He must otherwise wait until you die or die himself."

"But he's made himself immortal, hasn't he? He's got all those horcruxes!"

"But what happens when all of the horcruxes are gone? He will live on even then. Only one thing can kill him."

"Something can kill him?"

"Remorse, Harry, true, unaffected remorse. It would force the parts of his soul to destroy themselves."

"But he can't feel remorse!"

"That you must find out for yourself. Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to enjoy what little time I have here." With that last remark, Tenebre left Harry and Lupin alone.

"You knew, too?" Harry asked, much calmer than the demands he had hurled at the woman.

"Yes, Harry. I have known, but you should be careful with her. I you say the wrong thing, you could forever alienate her. Hers is a tenuous balance amongst her relationship with Tom, her morals, and her friendships in the Order," Lupin said carefully.

Harry nodded before saying with surprising maturity, "Thank you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Teneb expected the rest of the wedding to be spent in peace, at least as far as she was concerned. She was quite mistaken. Not even an hour could have gone by after her letter before the most significant of interruptions came.

Everyone became silent. Even the musicians stopped playing. They all looked out at the ball of light whizzing toward them. It hurtled into the tent and came to a stop, making it clear that this was a patronus.

In the silence that followed, Kingsley's grave voice filled the tent with terrible news. "The Ministry has fallen. The Minister of Magic is dead. They are coming. They are coming."

As soon as the patronus disintegrated, people began to scramble all over in a panic. Good-byes and farewells where said quickly, within seconds even. After all, there was no time to lose. They all knew that.

Thankfully, Tenebre only had two things to do. She ran to her cloak, which was clasped over a nearby chair and dug into one of the packets quickly. As she did, she ran to Hermione, shoving an old book into her hands before running into the house.

The vampire could hear the pops of people apparating to and from their little party. Unfortunately, she knew many of them would be from Death Eaters. They were after every single person at the wedding.

Up the stairs she ran, taking them three at a time. Very quickly, she reached the attic, bursting in and going straight for an aging chest in the corner. Her nimble fingers quickly unlocked the chest and reached in, quickly taking out the silver-blue seemingly glass orb of a prophecy. After quickly depositing it in her cloak, she disapparated with the words of the prophecy echoing in her head.

_A dark lord will rise. No one shall have power over him save one. His heart will be his undoing. The blood-drinker will be his strength and his downfall._

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
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_Diary_

_Tenebre Veleni_

_1 September 1944 – 2 July 1945_

_Translated from Italian  
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"What's that?" Ron asked, looking over her shoulder at the book.

"It's Tenebre's diary. She gave it to me just before the Death Eaters come. I think it's from when she and You-Know-Who were at school together," she said, moving over so Ron could sit beside her.

"Why'd she give it to you?"

"I think she wants us to know something is it."

"Like what?"

"I don't know," she responded honestly.

"Won't it be written in Italian?" Harry asked from behind them. They turned to see him striding over to them. He sat on the floor in front of them and took the book from Hermione's hands. As he did, two pieces of paper fell from the pages of the book.

Quickly, Hermione picked them up. The first was a note. It said:

_ To Harry, Ron, and Hermione:_

_ I leave you my diary from the year I knew Tom Riddle. I hope that in these pages you find what you search for, but know this: the Horcruxes are not the only part to killing him. His soul is too far gone. But beware. As you search for your answers you will delve into Tom's history and mind. They may not be the answers you seek._

_ Best of luck,_

_ Tenebre Veleni_

"Bloody Hell! She knows how to kill You-Know-Who!" Ron exclaimed.

"But how?" Harry asked, finishing his thought.

"I guess we'll find out," Hermione said, unfolding the paper.

If they had thought that the previous paper was shocking, they were sadly mistaken. This paper was a black-and-white photo, suitably wizard-like in that the subjects moved. The picture showed two people smiling and laughing as they held each other. They kissed lovingly and hugged each other. The first was Tenebre, looking very much the same as she had when they had seen her. The other only Harry recognized.

"Tom Riddle," he whispered.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"_That's_ Voldemort?" Ron asked in shock.

"They're so happy..." Harry said.

"They were in love," Hermione said simply, flipping over the photo for a date. "The 14th of February, Valentine's Day."

"Valentine's Day?" Ron asked.

"He was _public_ with his feelings?" Harry asked in shock.

"How can this be the same person?" Ron asked.

"That's definitely him. He only looked a bit younger in the Chamber of Secrets," Harry confirmed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**_  
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_1September 1944_

I know not what to expect at this new school. Professor Dumbledore has been kind enough to accompany me as I purchased my school supplies. He was the one who found me. According to him, he was at the British Ministry of Magic when the aurors heard of a vampire attack out in the country. If he had not come before them, I would be dead...Actually, I am dead. Well, almost. Being a vampire is about as close as one can get to being dead.

Either way, the train to school leaves from King's Cross Station at eleven o'clock. I am quite dreading having to be around so many people. Their blood is so appetising, but Dumbledore said that this will pass in time. He left several packets of blood with me for just this purpose. Perhaps I should indulge in one before the train...

Then again no. Unfortunately, my eyes turn red after I feed, presumably due to the extra blood flowing through them. Either that or I cannot absorb others' haemoglobin so I lose my eye colour. Anyway...

I suppose I should explain who I am, even if this is just a diary. My name is Tenebre Veleni, not that it isn't obvious on the cover. I was born to a rich Muggle family in Venice, Italy. I lived there until I was eleven years old. That was when I found out about the Wizarding World and all its wonders. After one year at a rather shoddy school in Venice, I was accepted to the College of Magic in Rome on talent alone. That is, of course, the most prestigious school of magic in southern Europe.

I spent five wonderful years there before vampire met me as I walked to my parents' house. I never knew the streets of Venice were so dangerous.

I never knew his name. It seems rather odd to me now that someone who changed my life so much did not even bother to tell me their name before they dragged me off to Britain. All I know is that he was from a small town near Dover. He brought me there, changed me, and left me to die.

I don't suppose I'll ever know why he did not just feed on me and kill me. Perhaps he wanted to see how I would be as a vampire, but then he would not have left me there.

Either way, I lay in the street for all of an hour before an aging man in robes came and brought me to Hogwarts. That man was Albus Dumbledore.

It later turned out to be my luck that he was a teacher at Hogwarts. He convinced Headmaster Dippet to allow me to have my final year of school there, though perhaps I should explain why. My school in Rome would not have a vampire within its grounds, let alone as a student.

Dumbledore took me to see my parents five days after I was changed. When they saw what I was, they wanted nothing to do with me. They never really loved me, anyway. All they wanted was to marry me off to some rich man. They never truly cared, unlike my brother.

My brother was the only person to actually care about me whilst I grew up. His name is Marco. Our parents told me never to contact them or him again. Marco would hear nothing of it. That very night, I sent him an owl. We've kept in touch since.

Anyway, Dumbledore has told me that at Hogwarts, there are four 'houses'. Apparently, they are the four main groups in the school. Each year of students is split up into these four for everything from classes to tables at lunch. They are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Ravenclaw was for the most intelligent and studious students. Gryffindor is the destination for people who are brave to a fault. Hufflepuff is, according to Dumbledore, the place for loyal, honest people, though the way he describes it they are worthless and spineless. Slytherin is far more interesting. It is the house for the sly and clever. According to Dumbledore, every dark witch or wizard that was schooled at Hogwarts was in Slytherin, but the way he describes the people is not at all bad. They are self-interested and cynical. Whilst I qualify as more cautious and bitter, he seems to think I will be in Ravenclaw. I doubt that, though I shall let them decide, as I am supposed to.

Someone is coming. I shall write again later.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_Later_

I will admit I knew not what to expect at the Feast. Dumbledore has, as I said, told me of the four Houses and sorting, but to actually see it is completely different. Still more surprisingly, I was sorted right after the first years with no preamble as to my age.

Well, I suppose I am now a Slytherin, though I confess the hateful looks from the other houses were rather disconcerting. After some prying, I found that Slytherin is the 'dark' house. That is, this is the house from which most dark witches and wizards originate. I shall take that as proof that I have left the light. No vampire could be a part of the light, so I must consign myself to what pleasures darkness affords.

When I sat at the Slytherin table, I was not prepared for the stares or the whispers. From what I have seen so far, this is a normal reaction to my new exterior. As disconcerting as the whispers were, the sudden silence for a single boy to speak was more so. His voice alone had this commanding sharpness to it that made the dark undertones sound insidious and almost frightening. All he did was snap at them for silence. That alone would not have been so unusual, but each and every person to hear him obeyed without question. Their eyes widened in what I believe was fear, but reverence and awe were also apparent. Whoever he was, they feared and respected him. Of course, only time will tell what I think of him. In fact, I did not even see him. Ah, Intrigue, you make everything interesting.

Anyway, I followed the crowd to the Slytherin Common Room (dungeons, past the fourth brazier, blank wall, password Parseltongue). The furnishings were somewhat of a shock at first, but as I look at them again, the surprise has faded to appreciation. Everything is green, black, or silver, though thankfully the silver is left to trim. I believe I could grow to be very fond of the common room. None of the bedrooms have windows, but there are enough in the rest of the castle to not be found wanting.

As I remember, the teachers are all aware of what I am in case of any...accidents. Headmaster Dippet was very reluctant to allow me here, but Professor Dumbledore was very persuasive, apparently. He won over a Professor Slughorn who, according to Dumbledore, is most eager to meet me. I can only imagine for what purpose he would wish to meet a newly turned vampire.

Even without that knowledge, the other seventh year Slytherin girls seemed to know that I was different. Only one of them spoke before pointing me to a bed and warning me away from 'Tom Riddle.' He sounds like her boyfriend, but I cannot be certain.

The furnishings were pleasant where the company was lacking. I have a comfortable, if small, four poster bed, to myself. It has dark green privacy curtains. I also have a dresser as well as myu trunk, which like the others is at the foot of the bed.

Now, on to people. The one that spoke to me was Olive Hornby. She is arrogant and condescending to say the least. One could almost say, were her ego any larger, that it would explode upon contact with the pressures of school. Her ego aside, Olive seems to be quite the slut. I cannot help but wonder how many blokes she has spread her legs for. However, her ultimate goal is apparently to marry this Tom Riddle, the same person she warned me from.

The other girls in Slytherin seventh year are considerably more tolerable than Olive.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

That evening, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made camp in the middle of the forest after eating some foraged mushrooms, they began their now expected time of reading Tenebre's journal by firelight.

"Date October 9."

_I have not recorded my thoughts in some time. As this cannot be attributed to a lack of time for obvious reasons, I must simply defer to a lack of anything remarkable happening until last night._

_ The case of Tom Riddle has grown more interesting. He commands fear and respect from the majority of the population of the school, including the staff. As I have previously stated, he seems to excel in every class, though with quite a bit of effort, it would appear, as he spends a rather large amount of time secluded in some corner of the library. This is not unloike myself, though my research is most definitely not school related. I could, obviously, assume that his time, like mine, is otherwise engaged than with schoolwork. After all, the only assignments that require a large amount of time to complete are the essays._

_ Sometimes, I see Tom entering or leaving the Restricted Section. No doubt, he uses his influence on the teachers to gain this access. The quandary to this observation is what he is researching there. Very few good things come out of there, most of which are potions._

_ Given Tom's apparently insatiable desire for knowledge. I would assume that he wishes to know about all facets of magic, though I would bet money he is only researching the darker aspects. After all, we are very nearly only taught the lighter side of magic. Perhaps, this is more magical peoples from joining with Grindelwald._

_oooooooooooooooooo_

That night, Professor Severus Snape was appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There was very little celebration of the matter for the person in question soon retreated to his new office.

As soon as the door was closed, he turned to look around at the office. Instead of focusing on the office, he was forced to focus on something else entirely: the presence of someone else. Tenebre lounged comfortably in an armchair holding a glass of blood in her hand.

"You shouldn't be here," he said, walking over to the desk and taking a decanter of wine and a glass.

"Nor should many people who are here nonetheless," she countered, referring to the Death Eaters that had quite recently become 'teachers' at Hogwarts.

"You know what I mean, Teneb. If anyone finds you here, he _will_ catch you and-"

"And he'll kill you," she finished, setting down her glass and standing.

"You know that hardly matters to me anymore," Snape said, slumping into a chair.

Silence hung thickly in the air before he asked, "What do you live for?"

Teneb sighed. She shook her head and said, "I haven't an answer."

Snape nodded silently. Quite suddenly, his entire demeanour changed. It became more business-like and reserved. "Why are you here, Teneb?"

"You know very well you are the only one with whom I can communicate for news," she said, taking her glass and walking over to lean against his desk.

"What of the others?" he asked, frowning in confusion.

"They are in hiding. I will not risk their safety by finding them, and of course they believe you to be a traitor. However, you and I both know better," she said, offering a quick, wry smile.

"Get to your point, Teneb. I haven't the rest of the night as you."

"Yes, well. Not all of us are cursed as I. Anyway, I need some ingredients from you."

"Surely, you are not dabbling in _Moste Potente Potions_ again?"

"Not so much dabbling as being prepared for an eventuality."

"Not _Life Stealing Elixir_, again, I hope."

"Hardly. This one's actually plausible, as well as quite necessary for-"

"Don't tell me, Teneb. _He'll_ find out."

"I wasn't going to, Severus. Anyway, you know of my tendencies to secrecy."

"Yes, as well as your chances of staying hidden."

Instantly, Teneb was on guard again. She looked at him suspiciously and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You mean you don't know?" Snape asked, looking at her very oddly. "Teneb, he is looking for you. He is getting closer and closer." He sighed and said, "I don't want him to find you."

"Yes, but you know as well as I this will not end unless he finds me."

"Because you must find him at the proper time," Snape continued.

"Yes, and to prevent that from being premature, I have a question."

He nodded for her to continue.

"Why is it that suddenly no one will say his name, even those that previously had no fear at all in doing so?" Teneb asked, placing her glass on his desk.

"I thought you of all people would have figured it out by now..." Snape said speculatively, drifting off into thought.

"Severus! I haven't much time!" Teneb reminded him sharply.

"A taboo."

Teneb's eyebrows rose as she whispered to herself, "Always the clever one, Tom."

"Has he always been Tom to you?" Snape asked curiously.

Teneb smiled sadly and dropped her head so she was staring at her hands. Reluctantly, she admitted, "Yes...Voldemort is simply how his mind differentiates between what he used to be and the madness he has succumbed to."


End file.
